Paul Skenes Joins Juan Soto in Bold Shohei Ohtani Snub With Massive MLB Claim

Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani have already built up quite a little rivalry. For the unversed, they’ve faced each other three times, with the most recent matchup coming at Dodger Stadium on April 25. That night, Ohtani went 0-for-3, including a strikeout on a nasty Skenes curveball. However, their history goes back to last season, when Skenes got the better of Ohtani in their first meeting by striking him out, only for Ohtani to respond in his next at-bat by crushing a 415-foot home run to dead center.

Skenes still came away with the win in that game, despite giving up another single to Ohtani later on. In their second meeting of 2024, Skenes locked Ohtani down again, striking him out twice and keeping him hitless in three trips to the plate. So, as for how Skenes feels about facing Ohtani? He’s been asked, and while he clearly respects Ohtani’s talent, he doesn’t single him out as the toughest hitter he’s ever faced. Maybe!

In a podcast with another Dodger, Mookie Betts, Skenes was asked about who is the toughest to strikeout. “I would throw Freddy… Freddy’s tough.” Betts added, “Freddy Freddy will be hard to strike out.”

So, for Paul Skenes, the real challenge at the plate isn’t Shohei Ohtani, but Freddie Freeman. Notably, the two squared off last year, and while Skenes initially blew Freeman away with three straight 100 mph fastballs, Freeman got his revenge later with a two-run homer. Moreover, as Skenes has even gone on record saying Freeman is the toughest hitter he’s faced. And that interestingly lines up with what Juan Soto said before this season.

If you remember, when asked about hitters he admires, Soto pointed to Freeman, too. He said, “I feel like he’s one of the best hitters I’ve ever seen with my eyes.”

Hence, what makes this stand out is that both Skenes and Soto left Ohtani out of that conversation, despite Ohtani being widely regarded as one of the best hitters in the game today. Maybe if Ohtani has a bigger performance against Skenes down the line, that perception could shift. But for now, it’s Skenes who seems to have the upper hand on the Japanese superstar.

Skenes even got plans against the best of the best

While Skenes didn’t mention Ohtani as the toughest hitter he faced, he did have a plan to deal with the legendary Babe Ruth. No, the duel is surely not possible, but Skenes was given an imaginary scenario where he would face Ruth. The answer? “A four-pitch sequence featuring three fastballs and capped by his patented splinker to get the strikeout against one of the greatest hitters baseball has ever seen.”

So, is that confidence or more than that? Well, this season, Paul Skenes has been nothing short of dominant. He’s leading MLB with a 2.05 ERA and racking up 187 strikeouts over 28 starts. So, that’s impressive on its own, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that Skenes once flirted with the idea of following Shohei Ohtani’s path as a two-way player!

Yes, you heard that right. Before locking in on pitching at LSU, Skenes was an accomplished hitter. Back at the Air Force Academy, he not only caught but also swung a big bat. Skenes notably won the John Olerud Award as the nation’s best two-way player. Moreover, he hit .400 one season and launched 13 homers in another. Hence, showing enough power that scouts once thought he might become an Ohtani-type talent.

Ultimately, the move to LSU shifted his focus fully to pitching. And it’s safe to say that decision has paid off. And we just lost another top two-way player from being the next Ohtani.